1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automix system for conducting automix between control equipment and audio equipment through a network.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, a sequencer is connected to a mixer or an effector in an automix system. A user may manipulate an operation device such as a fader provided on the mixer or the effector along with progression of music provided from the sequencer. The operation amount of the operation device can be recorded in a memory every moment. This recording function of the operation event is known as automix. The automix function can be used as follows. For example, the automix is turned on when song A is arranged. While the sequencer reproduces song A, a user operates the fader along with the progress of song A. The memory is controlled to successively record operation events together with time stamps indicating the times when the fader is operated. The recorded operation events are read out together with the time stamps for reproduction of arranged song A. When the sequencer reproduces the automixed song A, the fader is automatically operated in accordance with the timings indicated by the time stamps.
When sequencer software is installed and executed on a personal computer (PC), the PC can be operated as a sequencer. When the PC and a mixer or the like are networked for automixing, communication takes place between the PC and the mixer or the like based on a communication standard used for the network. In this case, the mixer or the like is configured to transmit operation event data according to the communication standard. When receiving the operation event data, the PC applies the receiving time of the operation event data as a time stamp for recording. Consequently, a time lag occurs between the time stamp and the actual timing when the operation event occurred. The delay is equivalent to the time spent for the transmission process by the mixer or the like. The network is used for connecting audio equipment such as a plurality of mixers, effectors, and the like with control equipment such as a PC and sequencer. These equipments operate according to their own internal clock and are not synchronized with each other. For these reasons, in reproduction of the song, there is caused a problem that the operation events automixed with the song are reproduced at times deviated from the progression of the song reproduction.